It is not clear whether AI generated pictures are protected by copyright law. Some argue that AI generated artwork cannot be copyrighted or attributed to a person, as it is not created by a human author. However, others argue that the artwork used to train AI generator algorithms is often copyrighted and owned by real human artists and creators, and therefore there may be copyright infringements when creating AI generated art. The US Copyright Office has ruled that a graphic novel consisting of human-authored text and images generated using AI could be copyrighted as a whole, but the author must identify and disclaim AI-generated parts of the work if they apply to register their copyright. It is important to note that the legal landscape surrounding AI generated art is rapidly evolving and there may be changes in the future.
Also worth reading: "What are the ways to determine if a video I found online is protected by copyright?" · "How do laws around copyright and intellectual property apply to images generated by artificial intelligence?" · **If an artist trains an AI solely on their own artwork, do they retain copyright ownership of the AI-generated art?**